Sampling apparatus for high pressure hank dyeing machines

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for the extraction of test samples from the dyeing vessel of a high pressure hank dyeing machine without the necessity of cooling or de-pressurizing this vessel, comprises a unitary assembly of a mechanical or suction gripper device and a cutter to sever the strands retracted by the gripper device from a hank stationary in the vessel. The cutter may serve as a pressure seal between the interior of the vessel and a tubular housing of the gripper device serving to receive the cut strands.

United States Patent 1191' von Ondarza [4 1 Apr. 24, 1973 SAMPLINGAPPARATUS FOR HIGH PRESSURE HANK DYEING MACHINES [76] Inventor: Leon vonOndarza, Gerhard-Hauptmannstr. 13, 5144 Wegberg, Germany 22 Filed: Oct.29, 1971 21 Appl.N0.: 193,769

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 18, 1971 Germany ..P 21 24681.1

[52] US. Cl. ..68/13 R, 68/212 [51] int. Cl. ..D06f 29/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..68/13, 185, 186, 68/212 [56] References Cited U NITED STATESPATENTS 1,274,396 8/1918 Dudley ..68/186 8/1918 Dudley ..68/186 6/1920Dudley ..68/186 Primary Examiner-William 1. Price AssistantExaminerArthur 0. Henderson Alt0rneyAlbert F. Kronman 5 7 ABSTRACT Anapparatus for the extraction of test samples from the dyeing vessel of ahigh pressure hank dyeing machine without the necessity of cooling orde-pressurizing this vessel, comprises a unitary assembly of amechanical or suction gripper device and a cutter to sever the strandsretracted by the gripper device from a hank stationary in the vessel.The cutter may serve as a pressure seal between the interior of thevessel and a tubular housing of the gripper device serving to receivethe cut strands.

8 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure SAMPLING APPARATUS FOR HIGH PRESSURE HANKDYEING MACHINES This invention relates to a sampling apparatus, for highpressure hank dyeing machines, in which the sample is taken with thehank stationary. The term hank" as used herein refers to any strand formof substrate, for instance textile fiber in rope or skein form.

The sampling, that is to say the removal of test dyeing samples from ahank, in a hank dyeing machine has hitherto involved evacuation of theinterior of the kier or deing vessel, which is under pressure, after themachine has been stopped from an operating rate of the order of 140 180m per minute.

In known methods of sampling the removal of the sample is done by handand this requires the cooling down of the hank dyeing machine from itsnormal operating temperature, which is of the order of lC, toapproximately 75C, that is to say through about 50C. Removal of samplesby hand would otherwise be impossible. Having regard to the facts thatthe rate of cooling is about l.5C per minute, approximately 33 minutesare required for the cooling down. After this about 2 minutes are usedin the sampling and then the machine must be brought up to the operatingtemperature again; one can reckon that the temperature rises by about Cper minute, which gives a time loss of l6 minutes. Thus the samplingrequires an overall time of about 51 minutes.

Known forms of sampling apparatus for a high pressure hank dyeingmachine are disposed outside the kier or dyeing vessel of the machine.The dye liquor circulates within the machine and at the same timethrough the sampling vessel. The hank circulates along with the dyeliquor inside the machine, whilst the sample laps remain in the separatesampling vessel. The result of this is that often there may bedeviations of about 10 percent in tone between the partially dyed hankand the sample which is later taken. This means that an exact analysisof the dyed condition of the hank is impossible.

One object of this invention is to providea sampling apparatus whichcaters for an accurate evaluation of the dyeing.

Another object is a sampling apparatus which caters for the taking of asample in a minimum of time and without closing the machine down. 1

ln pursuance of these objects an improved sampling apparatus comprisinga gripper device for engaging a part of said hank and a cutter devicefor severing the engaged part of said hank and separating from theremainder of the hank for inspection.

Advantageously the gripper device and the cutter device are assembledinto a single structure and preferably the major part of this structureis installed in the interior of the dyeing vessel.

lt is immaterial whether or where the sampling apparatus is applied tothe machine but advantageously it will be arranged at the level of ahank entry port of the machine. It can be installed on or in new highpressure hank dyeing machines, or fitted to existing hank dyeingmachines without any difficulty.

Various systems can be used to extract the test sample. Thus the gripperdevice can comprise a cylinder, tube or the like which can be evacuatedof air an can be brought up to the hank or disposed adjacent the same toengage by a suction effect.

In other forms of the invention the gripper device may comprise amechanically-operable gripper arm or a rod or the like with at least onehook or the like at the free end. This rod or the like may be amanuallyoperated spindle or push rod, which arrangement is particularlysimple, not only to instal but also to make, and in addition isinexpensive. The hooks provided on the spindle or rod may be of the kindfor example which are used for angling; a type of anglers hook could infact be used. The hooks should be barbed so that they can be plungedinto the stationary hank and will pull a part of this out when retractedor turned back.

The said cutter device can comprise at least one cutter blade which ismovable transversely to the gripper device, being for examplehydraulically or pneumatically operable. It may, for instance, beconstituted by a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit which is double-actingor single-acting with a return spring.

in a preferred embodiment of the invention the gripper device is in theform of a spindle which is at least partially and displaceably mountedin a chamber which can be pressurized; this chamber may have a port,closed by a flap or the like, to allow for removal of the sample.

An example of embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way ofexample in longitudinal section in the accompanying drawing.

An extraction tube or sleeve 2 accommodating a push rod 3 is provided onthe wall 1 of the kier of a high pressure hank dyeing machine. The tube2 defines a chamber 4 the purpose of which will be described in detailbelow. The push rod 3 is provided with a handle 5 and is sealed by asealing ring 6. The tube 2 is fitted with a head portion 7 and thiscarries a hand lever 8 and a setscrew 9. The tube 2 is providedlaterally with a withdrawal opening (not shown) which can be airtightlyclosed by a cover. The free end 10 of rod 3 has two or more barbed hooks11, the relevance of which will be explained below.

Welded at right angles to the tube unit 2 is a block 12 whichaccommodates a movable cutter device 13 slidable at right angles to theaxis of the tube unit 2. This cutter device comprises a frame 14, acutting blade 15, and an extension piece 16 of an operating device.Cutter device 13 is formed with an aperture 17 of a diameterapproximately equal to that of the hollow interior of tube unit 2.

Block 12 also carries a pneumatic device for actuating cutter device 13.This comprises a piston unit 18 which cooperates with an abutment 19 onblock 12.

The projected position of the actuating piston unit 18 is illustrated indotted lines in the drawing. The piston unit, which has not beenillustrated in detail, has a con necting conduit 20 leading to a duct 21in tube unit 2. 22 designates the connection to a pressure source.

The supply of compressed air (from a source not shown) is controlled bymeans of the hand lever 8. Compressed air passes into the compressionchamber (not shown) of piston unit 18 and brings the piston into thedotted position, that is to say into a position in which aperture 17registers with chamber 4. At this instant the high pressure hank dyeingmachine is, in the normal way, under pressure with the hank stationary,so that the same pressure will prevail in chamber 4. The push rod 3 isthen pushed in so that hook 10 can engage part of the hank.

Push rod 3 is then withdrawn, whereafter the piston of unit 18 isbrought into its other dead center position by means of a return spring(not shown), that is to say into a position in which the aperture 17 ismoved towards the upper end of block 12. Blade cuts off the part of thehank which has been drawn out by hook 11.

Not only is the pneumatic pressure which keeps the aperture in cutterblade 15 in register with chamber 4 interrupted when lever 8 is moved toenable the return spring described above to move the cutter blade intothe position illustrated in full line, but air is vented from chamber 4through an opening (not shown). In the position of the cutter blade 14shown in full line, chamber 4 is separated from the compression area inthe high pressure hank dyeing machine. The withdrawal flap (mentionedabove but not illustrated) is now opened and the sample removed.

Use of the sampling apparatus according to the invention only requirestwo minutes. The cooling down and re-heating of the machine, previouslynecessary as mentioned above, is dispensed with.

It is also to be noted that the hank may for example be stopped with aseam located in the direct vicinity of an upper feed roller of the highpressure hank dyeing machine. Positioning can be controlled optically byusing contrasting seams or markings in the hank. Alternatively anelectronic detection and control, for example by means ,of a seamcharacterized by a metal thread, can be used.

The sample which is withdrawn using the apparatus according to theinvention has exactly the same color tone as the remainder of the hank,especially as the bank does not have to remain stationary for long, nordoes it have to remain stationary for a long period in the dye liquor.

I claim:

1. In a hank dyeing machine having a vessel through which at least onehank is moved during dyeing an improved sampling apparatus comprising agripper device for engaging a part of said hank and a cutter device forsevering the engaged part of said hank and separating from the remainderof the hank for inspection.

2. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripper deviceand said cutter are combined in a unitary structure, and part at leastof this structure is installed in the interior of said vessel.

3. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripper devicecomprises a movable mounted rod having an operative free end providedwith at least one hook for engaging said hank.

4. Sampling apparatus according to claim 3, in which said rod is mountedfor movement in a housing defining a chamber which can communicate withthe interior of said vessel.

5. Sampling apparatus according to claim 4, in which said housing has aport for withdrawal of a sample severed from said hank, and a flap forclosing said port.

6. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said cutter devicecomprises guide means, at least one cutter blade mounted in said guidemeans, and means for moving said cutter blade in said guide means transversely to said gripper device.

7. Sampling apparatus according to claim 6, in which fluid pressuremeans are used for moving said cutter blade. D

8. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a sampling tubemounted in a wall of said vessel and projecting into the interiorthereof, a manually-operable gripper rod displaceably mounted in saidtube and having hook means at the inner end thereof, a cutter slidewaysecured to the end of said tube within said vessel, a cutter slidemounted in said slideway and comprising a frame with an apertured cutterblade secured therein, and pneumatic means for moving said cutter slidetransversely of said rod to sever hank material retracted by the sameand to bring the aperture in said cutter blade into and out of registerwith the interior of said tube.

1. In a hank dyeing machine having a vessel through which at least onehank is moved during dyeing an improved sampling apparatus comprising agripper device for engaging a part of said hank and a cutter device forsevering the engaged part of said hank and separating from the remainderof the hank for inspection.
 2. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1,in which said gripper device and said cutter are combined in a unitarystructure, and part at least of this structure is installed in theinterior of said vessel.
 3. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, inwhich said gripper device comprises a movable mounted rod having anoperative free end provided with at least one hook for engaging saidhank.
 4. Sampling apparatus according to claim 3, in which said rod ismounted for movement in a housing defining a chamber which cancommunicate with the interior of said vessel.
 5. Sampling apparatusaccording to claim 4, in which said housing has a port for withdrawal ofa sample severed from said hank, and a flap for closing said port. 6.Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said cutter devicecomprises guide means, at least one cutter blade mounted in said guidemeans, and means for moving said cutter blade in said guide meanstransversely to said gripper device.
 7. Sampling apparatus according toclaim 6, in which fluid pressure means are used for moving said cutterblade.
 8. Sampling apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a samplingtube mounted in a wall of said vessel and projecting into the interiorthereof, a manually-operable gripper rod displaceably mounted in saidtube and having hook means at the inner end thereof, a cutter slidewaysecured to the end of said tube within said vessel, a cutter slidemounted in said slideway and comprising a frame with an apertured cutterblade secured therein, and pneumatic means for moving said cutter slidetransversely of said rod to sever hank material retracted by the sameand to bring the aperture in said cutter blade into and out of registerwith the interior of said tube.